About the photo: Local high school baseball coaches gathered for a pre-game going away party organized by King High School Coach James Macaluso to honor Gaither High School Coach Frank Permuy on April 10. Permuy and Macaluso, along with four other legendary Tampa high school baseball coaches, will reunite on July 15 for a coaches panel. Photo credit: Jarrett Guthrie.

A Night to Celebrate Tampa Baseball:

Coaches panel and All-Star Game watch party

Six of Tampa’s most legendary high school baseball coaches will reunite to share stories from their baseball experiences, recount favorite memories and answer audience questions on July 15 for a special event to benefit the Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House.

Emceed by 970 WFLA radio host Jack Harris, the six coaches featured on the panel include:

Frank Permuy, Gaither High School

Pop Cuesta, Jefferson High School

Billy Reed, Hillsborough High School

James Macaluso, King High School

John Crumbley, Steinbrenner High School (formerly Jesuit High School)

Pete Mulry, Tampa Catholic High School

(Learn more about these six coaches in the article below.)

Pop Cuesta and Frank Permuy at Tropicana Field to throw out the first pitch at a recent Rays game. Photo credit: Jarrett Guthrie

James Macaluso and Billy Reed

Photo credit: Jarrett Guthrie

In addition to hearing from this impressive lineup of coaches, the evening will include a sports memorabilia silent auction and MLB All-Star Game watch party. Wear the cap or jersey of your favorite baseball team and come celebrate Tampa’s rich baseball heritage.

This event is a fundraiser supporting the Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House, which will be a home for celebration, preservation, and education of local baseball culture – from Little League to Major League, and everything in between.

Meet the coaches

The six legendary coaches that will participate on the coaches panel at A Night to Celebrate Tampa Baseball on July 15 had a profound impact on the game, and on youth sports in Tampa. Some of the highlights include:

Frank Permuy, Gaither High School

A coach in Tampa for more than 40 years, Permuy most notably founded Gaither’s baseball program in 1984, and continued to coach the team until his retirement in May. In 1982, Permuy won a state championship while coaching at Tampa Catholic, and in 2005 advanced to the state championships with Gaither. He has been the recipient of the National Regional Coach of the Year award three times and was inducted into the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Hall of Fame in 2010.

Pop Cuesta, Jefferson High School

Also newly retired, Cuesta coached 43 years at Jefferson High School, winning 647 games, including 12 playoff wins, and a trip to the 1985 FHSAA Final Four. Eight of his players went on to play in the Major League, including Luis Gonzalez, Tino Martinez, Fred McGriff and Lenny Faedo. Born and raised in Ybor City, Cuesta grew up playing Legion baseball with other Tampa legends like Tony La Russa and Lou Piniella.

Billy Reed, Hillsborough High School

Reed spent 24 years as coach at Hillsborough High School and coached some of baseball’s biggest talents before they were called to the majors, including Dwight Gooden, Gary Sheffield, Carl Everett and Vance Lovelace. His impact goes beyond high school baseball. In the 1960s, Reed founded Tampa’s Belmont Heights Little League. Reed was inducted into the sports Hall of Fame at Florida A&M University where he played football, basketball and baseball as an undergraduate.

James Macaluso, King High School

Macaluso has been the coach at King High School, his alma mater, for nearly 40 years. In 2010, he coached his team to the state tournament for the first time since 1964. In 2013, after coaching his team to a regional finals championship, Macaluso was back at the FHSAA Final Four for the second time. Over the years, his program has produced three Major League players: Derek Bell, Tim Crews and Calvin Pickering.

John Crumbley, Steinbrenner High School

Crumbley won 575 games and three state championships as the coach for Jesuit High School for 22 years. In 2009, he came out of retirement to start the baseball program at Steinbrenner High School, where he currently coaches. Crumbley is the first coach to reach 600 high school wins in Hillsborough County. Throughout his career, he coached several future MLB players, including Brad Radke, Sam Marsonek and Shane Robinson.

Pete Mulry, Tampa Catholic High School

Tampa Catholic hired Mulry right out of college in 1967. He coached Tampa Catholic to four state championship wins, then moved to the University of Tampa in 1978 to coach for five years. Mulry has been inducted into the halls of fame at both Tampa Catholic and St. Leo University, his alma mater. He is the author of Conversations in the Seventh Inning of My Life and founder of the Peter J. Mulry Foundation.

The Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House is being developed by the Ybor City Museum Society, a nonprofit organization that preserves and promotes Ybor City’s cultural heritage and supports the Ybor City Museum State Park.